Developments in victims' rights in Ireland

This chapter documents some of the legislative and policy developments relating to victims’ rights in Ireland, Internationally, there has been growing recognition of the interests and needs of victims in the criminal justice system over the past few decades, where previous emphasis had been predominantly on the rights of the offender (Christie, 1977; O’Hara, 2005). The result, in Ireland and in other jurisdictions, has been a series of developments which seek to enhance the support provided to victims, particularly in terms of their role as witnesses in court.